Leeds United pushing to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff
The newly-promoted side have submitted an offer to their Premier League counterparts worth £10million plus £2million in add-ons, which is a third proposal for the 27-year-old.
It has yet to receive a reply from Newcastle but is close to the limit of how far Leeds will go, with other candidates on their radar if a move for Longstaff does not come to fruition.
Personal terms are in place for the Englishman, who is into the final 12 months of his contract at Newcastle. Talks over a new deal last took place in winter 2024, and he has barely played for the St James's Park club since that point.
As an academy graduate, Longstaff wants his boyhood team to be compensated rather than face losing him as a free agent next summer.
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Leeds have identified Longstaff as a firm target to add quality and experience to their team, as reported by The Athletic on June 10.
Having racked up 171 Premier League appearances over the past seven years, Longstaff's top-flight experience appeals to newly-promoted Leeds. He has predominantly been used as a central midfielder by Newcastle, with some variation between defensive and attacking duties.
Last season, Newcastle triggered a one-year extension on the 27-year-old's contract to keep him at the club until June 2026.
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One of the proposed changes covers contamination. Only anti-doping rule violations linked to a contaminated substance not on its prohibited list are eligible for a reduced punishment. This is what happened in Świątek's case: her melatonin, which is not on the prohibited list, was contaminated with TMZ, which is. In Sinner's case, the substance with which he was contaminated was banned at first principle. This is why WADA originally sought a one- to two-year ban, before deciding that 'would have been very harsh.' Under the proposed reforms, the language in the code would change from 'contaminated product' to 'source of contamination.' The 'unforeseeable' presence of a banned substance in an athlete's body, whether from food or exposure via a third party, would be grounds for just a reprimand or a shorter, proportional ban if successfully proven. 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